Press release: In Defense of Christians

On June 27, His Eminence Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York held a special mass at the church of the Holy Family in New York for Christians in the Middle East, honoring Patriarch Bechara Peter Cardinal Rai, Maronite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, during his visit to the United States.

IDC President Toufic Baaklini and Board Member Antoun Sehnaoui were present at this ecumenical mass along with a large ecumenical crowd and clergy including attendees from the Syriac, Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian, Maronite, and Melkite churches.

Following the mass, His Eminence Cardinal Dolan held a private dinner at his residency honoring Patriarch Rai, to which he invited IDC President Toufic Baaklini and Board Member Antoun Sehnaoui who discussed with both His Eminence and the Patriarch the future of Christians in the Middle East and in Lebanon.

Patriarch Rai also mentioned the latest terrorist attack on a Christian village in Lebanon. ( See IDC statement on Lebanon’s  terrorist attack here).

His official statement at CNEWA headquarters in New York earlier that day highlighted the importance of Christian presence in the Middle East;

“The Christian presence has enriched the Middle East, its cultures and history, with evangelical values on the human, political, cultural and social levels.”

He explained: “Christianity became an essential part of the culture of those countries and it has also benefited from Islamic values and traditions. This Christian-Muslim interaction has resulted in a spirit of openness and modernity for the majority of Muslims. This constitutes a sign of hope for a better future for the Middle East.”